The Jim Grobe File: Coaching History: 2001-Current: Head Coach, Wake Forest Playing History: Grobe Bio: Like the FedEx Orange Bowl, the Meineke Car Care Bowl and the EagleBank Bowl. Grobe is in the midst of piloting the Demon Deacons through the most successful period of football in school history. In Grobe's first eight years at the helm, he has built a football program that has been to three consecutive bowl games and proven itself to be an annual contender for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. He has taken the Deacons to more bowl games, more eight-win seasons, and more bowl victories than any coach in school history. Wake Forest is riding a three-year streak of winning seasons which has not been accomplished in over 50 years. With a record of 54-44 at Wake Forest, Grobe is the first Deacon coach in more than 50 years with a career record to reach 10 games over .500.
And attendance has sky-rocketed with the Demon Deacon fans setting a season attendance record at BB&T Field in 2008. Last year, the Deacons were 8-5 overall, spent eight weeks in the top 25 and finished the season with a 29-19 win over Navy in the EagleBank Bowl. Wake's senior class graduated with a four-year record of 32-19, the best by any class in school history. And the four players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft marked Wake Forest's largest collection of draft choices in over 50 years. Linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth player selected overall in the Draft, marked the fourth time Wake has had a first round draft pick. Wake's defense held opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense in 2008, the best performance since 1964. The defense led the nation in takeaways while the special teams excelled by topping all Division I institutions in punt return defense. The success of the Deacons in 2008 came as no surprise to those who have watched Grobe build the Wake Forest program from the ground up. In his first five years on the job, Grobe was busy building respectability. In the last three years, he has been busy chasing championships. In 2007, Grobe led the Deacons to a 9-4 record including a 24-10 win over Connecticut in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Combined with an 11-3 record in 2006, Wake Forest has won 28 games in the last three seasons. Only 16 Bowl Championship Series institutions have won 28 or more games since the start of the 2006 season. Among the nine wins in 2007 were victories over North Carolina, NC State and Duke. Never before had Wake Forest swept the Big Four series in consecutive seasons. And never before had Wake won as many as 20 games in just two seasons. Wake Forest was successful in 2007 because of an efficient offense and an opportunistic defense. The Deacons led the nation in non-offensive touchdowns, scoring on six interception returns, two fumble returns, a kickoff return and a punt return. Wake's eight defensive touchdowns were also the most of any FBS team in the country. Offensively, the Deacons set a school record for the most points scored in a season and tied the school mark with 44 touchdowns. Wake Forest's success in 2007 was not limited to the field. The Deacons had their first Academic All-America football player in many years when offensive tackle Louis Frazier was named to the first team. The 2006 season was one to remember for all Wake Forest fans. Grobe led Wake Forest to its second-ever ACC Championship and its first since 1970. The Deacons won the ACC's Atlantic Division title after being picked to finish last by the league's media in the preseason. The 11 wins posted by the 2006 team set a school record as Wake was the most improved team in the nation, following a 4-7 record in 2005. The Deacs were ranked in the AP top 25 for nine straight weeks in 2006, the longest streak in school history and beat Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time since 1959 while posting their first win over N.C. State in Raleigh since 1984. Grobe's hard work was rewarded by his unanimous selection as the ACC Coach of the Year. He was selected as the National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, the Bobby Dodd Foundation, the Associated Press, The Sporting News and CBSSportsline.com. Grobe was hired in December 2000 to take over a Demon Deacon football program long regarded as an afterthought in the ACC. He inherited a Wake Forest program that won only 38 games in the 1990's. Football observers have recognized Grobe's efforts in transforming Wake Forest into one of the rising programs, not just in the ACC, but on a regional and national level. The levels of excitement and expectation surrounding Demon Deacon football have reached unprecedented heights. That is a tribute to Grobe and his staff who believe the best is yet to come. Grobe, 57, has gained a national reputation as a builder of programs. In eight seasons, Grobe's teams have won 54 contests, earned four bowl berths and won an ACC Championship. That is particularly impressive given the recent ACC expansion that introduced three nationally-prominent programs to the league. Even with the rising level of play in the conference, making the ACC arguably the nation's best football league, Wake Forest has become even more competitive and successful. Football observers have already recognized Grobe's efforts in transforming Wake into one of the rising programs, not just in the ACC, but on a regional and national basis. "Ever since Jim Grobe arrived in Winston-Salem, this program has been soaring upward," ESPN's Ron Franklin said. Long before Wake Forest's breakout season in 2006, the Deacons had performed very well against in-state opponents. Since Grobe's arrival, Wake Forest has defeated every Division I opponent in the state, including a 5-0 mark against East Carolina, 8-0 vs. Duke, 4-2 vs. North Carolina, 4-4 vs. NC State, plus victories against I-AA Appalachian State and North Carolina A&T. In all, Grobe's Deacons are 23-6 against in-state teams. In short, Grobe has put Wake Forest in position to be extremely competitive in one of America's best football leagues, the ACC, for many years to come. Grobe owns a 54-44 record after eight years at Wake Forest, 87-77-1 in 14 overall seasons as a head coach.Before Grobe arrived at WFU, the Deacons went a combined 26-63 in eight previous years. The 2006 ACC Championship season was certainly a magical one, but it was years in the making. Grobe began his Wake Forest tenure in impressive fashion, orchestrating one of the greatest turnarounds in program history. While laying the foundation for future gridiron success, he led his first squad to a bowl-eligible 6-5 record after Wake Forest went 2-9 the previous season. The Deacons won road games at East Carolina, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina en route to posting WFU's second winning season since 1992. The win over Virginia, Grobe's alma mater, was Wake Forest's first over the Cavaliers since 1983. The 32-31 win at North Carolina came after the Deacons trailed the Tar Heels 24-0 at halftime. A win over Northern Illinois in the 2001 season finale secured the winning season and made Wake Forest eligible for a bowl berth. Grobe became just the eighth rookie head coach at WFU to post a winning record in his first year. All five losses in 2001 came to bowl-bound teams. In three of those losses - vs. Maryland, NC State and Clemson - the Deacs had the ball with good field position and with a chance to tie or take the lead late in the game. The 2001 Deacon team averaged 221.6 yards rushing per game - an increase of over 70 yards per game from the previous season. The Deacons led the ACC in rushing, edging out BCS-bound Maryland for first place and averaged 401.6 yards of total offense per game. In his second campaign, he guided the Deacs to a 38-17 victory in the Seattle Bowl in front of a national television audience against an Oregon team loaded with NFL talent and that was once ranked as high as sixth in the country. Grobe became just the second coach in Wake Forest history, joining John Mackovic, to lead the Deacons to a bowl appearance in his second season at the helm. Impressive road wins over Purdue and Georgia Tech, in addition to a 31-0 shutout of rival North Carolina, highlighted the 2002 regular season campaign. The year was capped off with the victory over Oregon in Seattle to give WFU its second straight winning season for the first time since the 1987-88 seasons. Once again, Wake Forest led the ACC in rushing (241.2 ypg) and also averaged a league-high 408.1 yards of total offense per game in 2002. It marked the first time WFU led the ACC in total offense since 1979. In what many termed a rebuilding year, Grobe got the 2003 edition of Deacon football off to an exciting 2-0 start, with a road win at Boston College and a home victory over 11th-ranked NC State, his first win over a ranked opponent at Wake Forest. That led to another career first for Grobe, as the Deacs themselves earned a national ranking the following week. Grobe reached another milestone in the 2003 season, recording his 50th career victory with a 42-13 win at Duke. In 2004, the Deacons fielded a very young team that competed hard each week and captured the imagination of Deacon fans, as the single season attendance record was broken for the third straight year. Wake knocked off bowl-bound BC for the second straight season. The Deacons posted a three-game winning streak in September, its first such streak since 1992. Wake Forest seemed to be on the verge of bursting onto the national scene each week, as the Deacons were tied or leading in nine of the 11 games. The Deacons had a chance to knock off eventual ACC Champion Virginia Tech and fifth-ranked Florida State at BB&T Field, but lost both games by a combined 10 points. Against a treacherous schedule in the newly-expanded ACC, Wake Forest posted a 4-7 record. Five Deacons earned All-ACC honors, including first team selections Chris Barclay and Ryan Plackemeier. The 2005 Deacs had 26 freshmen and sophomores in the two-deep roster. Wake Forest showed flashes of brilliance with victories against NC State and Clemson, but could not overcome inexperience and a slow start, finishing 4-7. For the fourth time in five seasons, the Deacons led the ACC in rushing. Individually, Barclay led the ACC in rushing during the regular season for a third straight year, becoming the first player in the long history of the league to accomplish that feat. In doing so, he broke the school's all-time rushing record and was chosen as the ACC's Player of the Year, the first Deacon player to do that in 26 years. Plackemeier earned consensus All-America honors and won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter. Josh Gattis was a second-team All-ACC pick. The magical ACC Championship season of 2006 was well-chronicled. Redshirt freshman quarterback Riley Skinner, who stepped into the starting role during week two, became the ACC's Rookie of the Year and a second team All-ACC pick. Seniors Josh Gattis and Steve Vallos, junior Jon Abbate and Steve Justice and sophomore Sam Swank were all first team All-ACC selections. Seniors Patrick Ghee and Jyles Tucker were honorable mention. Grobe was the unanimous choice by the media as the ACC Coach of the Year. He was selected as the National Coach of the Year by his peers, the American Football Coaches Association, in addition to the Bobby Dodd Foundation and the Associated Press. When asked about his accomplishments or his coaching style, Grobe deflects his success to his players and to his coaching staff who he frequently refers to as, "the best coaching staff in America." * * * Grobe wasted no time in assembling his staff after he was hired at Wake Forest on Dec. 11, 2000. He brought eight assistants with him from Ohio, five of whom enter their ninth season at Wake Forest. For most of the staff, their loyalty to Grobe and each other pre-dates their days in Winston-Salem or even Athens. It's a brand of loyalty and stability rarely seen in college football. Assistant head coach Billy Mitchell has coached alongside Grobe since 1984 at Air Force. A few years later, they successfully recruited a high school player named Steed Lobotzke who eventually earned two letters and took a job as a graduate assistant at the Academy. Today, he is Wake Forest's offensive coordinator. Recruiting coordinator Ray McCartney and defensive ends coach Keith Henry both joined Grobe's staff at Ohio in 1995 and have served alongside him ever since. Brad Lambert came to Wake Forest from Georgia in 2001 when Brian Knorr, the only Ohio assistant who did not accompany Grobe to Winston-Salem at the time, was promoted to head coach of the Bobcats. Wake Forest's two newest coaching additions, Knorr and Steve Russ, both have long ties to Grobe. Knorr was a quarterback at Air Force while Grobe was coaching the Falcon linebackers. Russ was a standout linebacker with Grobe as his position coach. Since Grobe arrived at Wake Forest in 2001, only four assistant coaches have left. Troy Calhoun, Wake Forest's two-year offensive coordinator, left and is now the head coach at the Air Force Academy. Wake's seven-year defensive coordinator, Dean Hood, became the head coach at Eastern Kentucky following the 2007 season. Quarterbacks coach Jeff Mullen was named the offensive coordinator at West Virginia upon the hiring of Bill Stewart in 2008. Since arriving at Wake Forest, Grobe has hired Tom Elrod, a former Deacon quarterback who served as a graduate assistant during Grobe's first season in 2001. Tim Billings joined the staff prior to the 2006 season. The former head coach at Southeast Missouri State, Billings spent 10 years at Marshall and overlapped during that time with Lambert. * * * Grobe came to Wake Forest after turning a struggling Ohio University program into a contender for the Mid-American Conference championship. In the 10 seasons before Grobe left his assistant's position at the Air Force Academy to become Ohio University's head coach, the Bobcats won 17 games. In the six years under Grobe, they won 33 and finished with winning records in the Mid-American Conference five straight seasons. Grobe coached at Ohio for six years (1995-2000). After taking over the reigns of a program that went 0-11 and was ranked last among Division I-A programs in 1994, Grobe led the Bobcats to a cumulative six-year record of 33-33-1. A 1975 University of Virginia graduate, Grobe gained valuable experience as an assistant to Fisher DeBerry at the Air Force Academy prior to going to Ohio. He served as linebackers coach from 1984 to 1994, during which time the Falcons produced a record of 84-50 and appeared in seven bowl games. "I was fortunate to play for and coach with some outstanding people," Grobe said. "Everything I know I learned from someone else. Qualities like hard work, loyalty, discipline and toughness are things we take pride in at Wake Forest. "At the same time, I don't think any team or staff has more fun playing or coaching than our guys." In 2000, Grobe's final season with the Bobcats, Ohio posted impressive victories over bowl teams Minnesota and Marshall and closed the season by winning five of its last six games. Statistically, the Bobcats ranked in the top 30 nationally in 2000 in rushing offense (323.0 ypg), 18th in fewest turnovers lost (18), 20th in scoring defense (18.9 ppg), 25th in total offense (418.1 ypg) and 30th in scoring offense (31.18 ppg). The Bobcats also ranked high nationally in two special teams categories - fourth in net punting (39.7 ypp) and 39th in punting returns (11.95 ypr). Grobe's team produced the best fourth down conversion numbers in the MAC. "We see nothing but good things happening for our program," director of athletics Ron Wellman said at Grobe's hiring. "Jim Grobe is a good fit for Wake Forest in what he believes about the academic process and the importance of education and graduating his players." Grobe also worked previously as an assistant coach at Marshall (1979-83) for head coach Sonny Randle and at Emory & Henry (1978) for head coach Jerry Kirk. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Virginia, in 1975 after talking head coach Sonny Randle into hiring him as a graduate assistant. One year later, he was head coach at Liberty High School in Bedford, Va., from 1976-77. As a player at Virginia in 1973 under coach Don Lawrence and 1974 under Randle, Grobe played middle guard (1973) and linebacker (1974). He was a two-year starter and was named Academic All-ACC. Before enrolling at Virginia, Grobe played under coach Hank Norton for two seasons at Ferrum (VA) Junior College, where he played linebacker on the undefeated Coastal Conference championship team. Grobe earned the Catlin Citizenship Award and the Big Green Award. In the fall of 2002, Grobe was inducted into the Ferrum College Hall of Fame. "I don't know if there's anybody who loves the game more than I do," Grobe said. "I'd still rather be playing. The players don't get it, but I tell them that all the time. I'm just a big kid who can't play anymore." Grobe was born on Feb. 17, 1952. A native of Huntington, W.Va., Grobe earned his undergraduate degree (B.S.) in education from Virginia in 1975 and earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Virginia in 1978. Grobe and his wife, Holly, have two sons, Matt and Ben. Matt is a 1995 Marshall graduate who is the Head Golf Professional at DragonRidge Country Club in Las Vegas. He and his wife, Melanie, have a daughter, Mackenzie (11), and a son, Cameron (7). Ben graduated from Ohio University in 2002 where he played football and earned a degree in Health Care Administration. Ben currently resides in Charlotte. |
Wake Forest FootballThe Football Office |
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